Baling District

Coordinates: 5°40′N 100°55′E / 5.667°N 100.917°E / 5.667; 100.917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Baling (federal constituency).
Baling District
Chinese
华玲县
 • Tamilபாலிங்
UTC+8 (Not observed)
Postcode
09xxx
Calling code+6-044
Vehicle registration platesK
Baling District Council

Majlis Daerah Baling
Local authority
History
Founded1 April 1976
Leadership
President
Mohd Shahadan Abdullah
District Secretary
Azwan Azri Akashah John
Motto
Bersih Maju Sejahtera
(Clean, Progressive and Prosperous)
Website
pbt.kedah.gov.my/index.php/majlis-daerah-baling/

The Baling District is an

administrative district in southeastern Kedah, Malaysia. Located about 110 km from Alor Setar, it borders Perak and Betong, the southernmost town of Thailand
.

Name

Baling town

The name Baling can be traced to a series of events detailed in the story of

Merbau Pulas where pulas in Malay
means twisting.

After the king had successfully removed both his fangs, he threw them away to a faraway place. The place where he stood when he threw his fangs is known as Baling which means throw and the place believed to be the site where the fangs landed was named Siong, which means fang in Malay, one of the villages in Baling district.

The name Baling is also from Thai language "Ba Taling" (Thai: บ่าตลิ่ง; "river bank").

History

Main article: Baling Talks

Baling was also the site where the leaders of the

Malay Races Liberation Army, the newly formed Malayan Government, and the British met in 1955 to try to end the Malayan Emergency. Tunku Abdul Rahman, a leader of the Malayan government, implored the Communists to give up their arms peacefully by promising that no retaliatory action would be taken against them. The MRLA leader Chin Peng
expressed skepticism of a pardon promised by the leader of a nation that had yet to gain its independence (Malaya's independence was gained in two years later in 1957). Chin Peng insisted that the Malayan government and the British endorse the MRLA as a legal Communist Party so that it could run in the forthcoming elections. This was denied, however, and thus no agreement was reached.

Administrative divisions

Map of Baling District

Baling District is divided into 8 mukims, which are:[1]

  • Bakai
  • Baling town
  • Bongor
  • Kupang
  • Pulai
  • Siong
  • Tawar
  • Teloi Kanan

Towns in the district include Kuala Ketil, Parit Panjang, Tawar, Kuala Pegang, Kupang, Baling, Kg Lalang and Kota Baling Jaya Batu 42.

One of the small towns in Baling is Parit Panjang. Parit Panjang is situated at the junction of four main roads. The roads are from Kuala Ketil (i.e. from

Kulim and Sungai Petani), from Batu Lima, (i.e. from Gurun and Alor Setar),and from Baling Town via Asam Jawa and from Baling via Kuala Pegang. Parit Panjang situated 13 km from Kuala Ketil and 25 km from Sungai Petani
. There are six villages in Parit Panjang. The villages are Kg Banggol Berangan, Kg Sungai Tembak, Kg Carok Bakap, Kg Bukit Endoi, Kg Tandop Pisang and Kg Lanai.

In Kampung Pisang, Kupang, there is an Islamic religious school, Sekolah Menengah Agama Yayasan Khairiah. Yayasan Khairiah is one of the biggest religious school in Baling. Now it has about 1700 students coming from all over Malaysia.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1991 114,485—    
2000 124,830+9.0%
2010 132,304+6.0%
2020 142,643+7.8%
Source: [3]

Government

The district is administered by the Baling District Council

Federal Parliament and State Assembly Seats


List of Baling district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)

Parliament Seat Name Member of Parliament Party
P16 Baling Hassan Saad Perikatan Nasional (PAS)


List of Baling district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly of Kedah

Parliament State Seat Name State Assemblyman Party
P16 N30 Bayu Mohd Taufik Yaacob Perikatan Nasional (BERSATU)
P16 N31 Kupang Datuk Najmi Haji Ahmad Perikatan Nasional (PAS)
P16 N32 Kuala Ketil Mansor Zakaria Perikatan Nasional (PAS)

Transportation

Baling is the gateway to the East Coast for Kedah and

Kuala Kangsar in Perak and connects to the border town of Pengkalan Hulu
.

Tourist attractions

Scenic view of Gunung Pulai cliff
Gunung Pulai and Gunung Baling

Gunung Pulai is a 600 meter mountain located within this district. Rising from the earth some 450 million years ago, Gunung Baling is known to be one of the oldest formations of its kind in Malaysia. It stands opposite of 2 other tall rock formations, Gunung Baling and Gunung Besar, that together make up what some call the Baling Mountain Range. Gunung Pulai also hosts several cave systems that are filled with magnificent stalactites and stalagmites formations that litter its ceiling and floor. Locals have been frequenting the mountain to take advantage of its rich biodiversity, harvesting guano and birds nest from the mountain’s many caves as well as gathering rare plants and herbs at the foot of the tall mountain.The mountain also recently became a popular escape spot for thrill-seekers looking to conquer the mountain's peak, explore its deep caverns and take in the lush greenery of its surrounding forests.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "JPS Kominiti Baling Profil" (PDF) (in Malay). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  2. ^ "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristics, 2010" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ISBN 978-967-2000-85-3
    .
  4. ^ "Kedah's Gunung Pulai is a Prehistoric Wonder That's Now Under Threat | TRP". 12 February 2020.
  • Adam, Ramlah binti, Samuri, Abdul Hakim bin & Fadzil, Muslimin bin (2004). Sejarah Tingkatan 3. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
    ISBN 983-62-8285-8
    .
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